American Knife of the Year - Benchmade Narrows

JohnnyGalt said:
I handled the knife several times at Blade Show. Here are my thoughts;
- It is crazy thin and light (pictures don’t do justice to just how thin it is).
- The tolerances, axis lockup, and centering were all spot on.
- The handle finish/texture was very nice.
- I liked the “New” version of the Axis lock.
- I wish at this price point they would have put a little more special clip on it, but the clip functioned well and it absolutely disappears in pocket (because it is so thin and light).
- Sometimes thin/light knives can ”feel” cheap simply because they are thin/light. This knife doesn’t.
- It feels and handles like a premium knife
- The knife is so thin you need to flip the thumb stud a little differently than how you’d flip open a Bugout or Osborne. It takes a different effort.
- The price is on the high side but considering that it is “USA Made” (I expect to and am willing to pay more for this others may not and that’s ok) I think it is worth it. You can certainly get a knife of comparable quality/materials/tolerances for less from multiple manufacturers in Asia. That being said, none of them can offer the same thin and light combination. The design and engineering that went into the effort to make it that thin/light is impressive.

I suspect Benchmade will sell plenty of them.
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Thanks for sharing this. Solid review.
 
I watched a video on it. Apparently they no longer use omega springs in this lock, which is good news, since those broke on me twice already. But at the same time they also don't use a conventional coil spring, like the Anthem did. I doubt these new torsion springs are much better. They absolutely should've used a coil spring. Edit: I also think that bearings are a move in the wrong direction. Axis locks have been fine with washers, why use bearings for no good reason?

If they would've put a nicer looking clip on that knife, and made it an integral with a coil spring axis lock like the Anthem, I think I would be happy with the price.
 
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It looks like a really neat knife.
Congrats to BM.

As for the price, it’s in CRK land (as others have pointed out) which is a tough place to be in. I hope they can keep the quality and consistency commensurate to the price & competition. I’m skeptical they can deliver on that, but if they can, good for them!

I remember handling the 761 & 765 and thinking (at the time), “Nope, that’s too close to CRK territory.” This one is right in the middle of it.

I look forward to checking it out in person. It won’t win me over at $500 MAP, but I’ve got a retailer that throws a store-wide sale once a year, so who knows?
 
JohnnyGalt said:
I suspect you are correct. I’d bet an aluminum handled version in a slightly lower end blade steel (for a lower retail) is already part of their plan.
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And when the aluminum comes out for $360 it will feel like a steal! And FRN for $250 we will think they’re giving it away! Clever marketing 😎

I am glad to see Benchmade bringing something unique to the table regardless of the “controversy “
 
jbmonkey said:
I maybe the only person who doesn't care for really thin handled folders.
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You are not the only one. I love my Bugouts, but they are a little too thin for my taste. The Narrows is a lot thinner than that.

Griptilians are a little too thick for my taste. But how thick/thin a knife is is not a major consideration in my buying deliberations.
 
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Well she's way skinny! Pretty cool knife. I like it. Not for everybody I guess.
1. I like the Axis buttons, very grippy.
2. I like the blade shape ( lotta blade for this weight)
3. M390 steel, good as it gets imo.
4. I wish it was cheaper ( like every knife I buy!)

5. Would I take it to war? no
6. Would I take it to lunch? yes
7. would I open packages and mail with it? yes
And the best part...when I put it in the pocket of my gym shorts to run to the ice house, to buy more snuff, it doesn't drag my shorts off my ass...
Cheers
 
Hard pass. Too close to CRK money and guaranteed not the same attention to detail. It's very plain and poor steel choice considering.
 
gooeytek said:
up until recently, CRK money got you a Ti framelock with poor steel choice 😆
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Well CRK did get you the technical advancement of the frame lock in addition to the creation of s35vn. M390 is known not to hold up well in a super thin edge so we will see how the BM does with such a thin blade.
 
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